Cake platters and packaging means therefor



Nov. 6, 1962 M. E. STANLEY CAKE PLATTERS AND PACKAGING MEANS THEREFOR Filed June 20, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 6, 1962 M. E. STANLEY CAKE PLATTERS AND PACKAGING MEANS THEREFOR Filed June 20, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mill-n //2 yen/5r. #1 0/7 5 5/21/242 United States Patent Ofilice 3,062,374 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 3,062,374 CAKE PLA'ITERS AND PACKAGING MEANS THEREFGR Mary E. Stanley, Box 175, Rockingham, N.C. Filed June 20, 1960, Ser. No. 37,359 1 Claim. ((Cl. 206-65) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in ornamental cake platters, and the principal object of the invention is to provide improved pacakaging means for such platters to safeguard the same against damage in storage or shipment.

Particularly, the invention concerns itself with ornamental cake platters of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,552,297 issued May 8, 1951, and my Patent No. 2,610,111 issued September 9, 1952. Generally speaking platters of this type consist of a base plate of relatively rigid material such as cardboard, and one or more layers of relatively flexible material such as lace, ruffle or netting, superposed on the base plate. The layers of flexible material project outwardly beyond the marginal edge of the base plate and, if not carefully protected, can easily become crushed, bent, or otherwise damaged when the platter is stored or shipped.

The present invention eliminates this disadvantage by providing protective means at the marginal edge of the base plate which extend outwardly at least to the marginal edge of the layer or layers of flexible material and thereby safeguard the same against possible injury.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a boxlike container wherein a pair of cake platters may be packaged with the protective means thereof engaging the side walls of the container to prevent the platters from lateral shifting and further safeguard the flexible layers of material against damage, as aforesaid.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of spacing means which are interposed between the pair of platters in the container to prevent movement thereof between the top and bottom walls of the container.

Another important feature of the invention resides in forming the aforementioned protective means integrally with but separably from the marginal edge of the base plate of the platter, whereby the protective means may be quickly and easily detached after serving its purpose, and the cake platter utilized in the convential manner.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its convenient and dependable use, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understand from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a cake platter embodying the protective means in accordance with the invention, certain portions thereof being broken away to reveal its construction;

FIGURE 2 is an underside plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the enlarged scale, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to that shown in FIGURE 3 but with the protective means removed;

FIGURE 5 is an isometric view of the spacing means used in the invention;

FIGURE 6 is an isometric view of the packaging container in its open position;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the container with the cake platters packaged therein;

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 8-8 in FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary cross-section view on anlarged scale, taken substantially in the plane of the line 99 in FIGURE 7, but with the container in closed position.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, more particularly to FIGURES 1-4 inclusive, the general reference numeral 10 designates an ornamental cake platter of the type disclosed in either of my two aforementioned patents. The specific structure of the patter itself is only of general importance here and accordingly, the accompanying drawings illustrate the components of the platter only to the extent that they concern the present invention.

As such, the platter 14} comprises a relatively rigid base plate 11 of cardboard, or the like, having superposed thereon and secured thereto one or more layers of relatively flexible material, such as for example, a pleated ruffle 12 a doily 13, and a transparent covering sheet 14, as will be readily understood by reference to my two aforementioned patents.

At least one of these layers of flexible material, particularly the rufile 12, projects outwardly beyond the marginal edge 15 of the base plate 11 and consequently, unless properly protected, may sustain damage in storage or shipment.

The present invention safeguards against this possibility by the provision of protective means in the form of a complemental keeper member 16 which is formed integrally with the base plate 11 at the marginal edge 15 of the latter and extends outwardly at least to the marginal edge 12a of the rufile 12 to protect the same from injury. A line of perforations (also designated 15) is provided at the marginal edge 15 of the base plate 11, whereby the protective member 16 may be quickly and easily separated from the base plate as shown in FIGURE 4, and the platter used in the conventional manner after the protective member has served its purpose.

It may be explained at this point that the reference numeral 17 merely designates a line of stitching used for securing the ruiile 12 to the base plate 11 which, as such, has no bearing on the instant invention.

With reference now to FIGURES 6-9 inclusive, a boxlike container 18 of cardboard, or the like, is provided, wherein two of the cake platters 19 may be packaged for purposes of storage or shipment. The container 18 consists of a bottom wall 19 having foldable side walls 26, 21 at the side edges thereof, the side walls 20 in turn being provided with inwardly foldable flaps 22 while the walls 21 are provided with inwardly foldable top wall members 23 which are adapted to be superposed on the flaps 22 when the container is closed, as shown in FIGURE 9.

The two platters 10 are intended to be placed in the container 18 in a superposed, opposing relation so that the base plate of one platter rests upon the bottom wall 19 while the other platter is inverted thereon and adapted to have its base plate in engagement with the flaps 22 or, generally speaking, with the top of the container. It is to be particularly noted that the protective members 16 of the platters are of such outside dimension that they fit snugly into the container and engage the side wall 20, 21, so as to prevent any lateral shifting of the platters in the container and safeguard the flexible material 12, etc., of the platters against damage.

Moreover, spacing means in the form of a frame 24 of cardboard, or the like, are interposed between the two platters 10 as is best shown in FIGURE 8, whereby the two platters are sustained against the respective top and bottom of the container and any possible shifting of the platters between the top and bottom is eliminated.

The frame 24 is adapted to have its opposite side edges 24a and 24b in contact with the two platters as shown and, of course, the height of the frame is such as to eliminate any play between the platters and the top and bottom of the container. As already mentioned, the frame 24 may be formed from cardboard, especially a cardboard strip, having superposed, overlapped end portions secured together by a suitable fastener such as a staple 25.

It will be also apparent that although the platters 10 have been shown herein as being of a circular configuration, the invention is equally applicable to other geometrical shapes of platters.

While the platters are stored or shipped in the container, the flexible rufiles, etc. thereof are safeguarded against damage by the protective members 16 and when the platters are removed from the container, the members 16 may be easily detached therefrom to permit use of the platters in the conventional manner, without the protective members interfering with or hindering the ornamental appearance of the platters themselves.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and various modifications may be resorted to, such as may lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is:

The combination of a box-like container including side walls and top and bottom walls, a pair of ornamental cake platters packaged in said container, each of said platters comprising a relatively rigid base plate having a marginal edge, at least one layer of pleated ornamental and relatively flexible material secured to said base plate Within the marginal edge of the latter and projecting laterally outwardly beyond said marginal edge, said ornamental layer also projecting in a vertical direction from the base plate, a keeper member integral with and complemental to the marginal edge of said base plate, said keeper member vertically overlapping said ornamental layer and extending laterally outwardly at least to the marginal edge of the ornamental layer whereby to protect the latter against crushing forces acting in vertical and horizontal directions, said pair of platters being positioned in said container in opposing superposed relation with the ornamental layers thereof facing each other and the base plates thereof engaging the top and bottom walls of the container, said keeper members of the platters having outer marginal edges in abutment with the container side walls whereby to prevent the platters from shifting laterally in the container, an an open frame of relatively rigid material interposed between said platters for spacing the same apart in said container, the vertical dimension of said frame being such as to prevent crushing of the ornamental layers by each other in a vertical direction, each platter being provided with a line of perforations between the marginal edge of its base plate and the associated keeper member, whereby the keeper members may be separated from their base plates upon removal of the platters from said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,821,307 Howland Sept. 1, 1931 2,531,152 Pate Nov. 21, 1950 2,552,297 Stanley May 8, 1951 2,610,111 Stanley Sept. 9, 1952 2,741,414 Nottage Apr. 10, 1956 

